She colors in the story of a winsome, generous, helpful family that opens its doors during the Great Depression to another family down on its luck. The dialogue is sprightly and the writing is economical in the best sense of that word, and MacLachlan remains faithful to the earnest optimism that characterizes the series. (Really, though, the excess of sunniness and unswerving loyalty and devotion really requires an installment or two of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” to prevent the literary version of diabetes.)

Personally, I’ve always found E. Newsbit‘s “Railway Children” much more realistic, with siblings that quarrel (and make up) constantly re-discovering the meaning of the phrase that begins “Careful what you wish for…” Other winning E. Nesbit books include “Five Children And It” and “The Story of the Amulet” are winners, too, with a wit that’s still lively after 100 years or so.